Recommended by
Dark Matter
It’s official: Andrew Watt is everywhere. And as demonstrated by Dark Matter, Pearl Jam’s first collaboration with the young superproducer — who branched out from team-ups with pop stars like Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello and Post Malone to become the world’s most high-profile rock whisperer not named Rick Rubin, working with Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and the frickin’ Stones in recent years — that’s a net positive for 21st century rock. If Watt’s signature sonic palette can feel overly processed, as though the instruments were encased in radio-friendly bubble wrap, he’s clearly doing something right, because this LP, which follows an earlier solo collaboration with frontman Eddie Vedder, is the band’s most vigorous and engaged-sounding in years. A Pearl Jam superfan, Watt urged the band into a more collaborative and spontaneous mode, yet these songs feel surprisingly lived-in, from the title track, a stomping, anthemic hard-rocker, to “Wreckage,” a folky, midtempo tune elevated by Vedder’s still-potent vocal majesty. Overall, the band’s lighters-in-the-air sensitive side (“Won’t Tell,” “Upper Hand”) sounds as sharply honed here as its fiery, aggressive mode (“Scared of Fear,” “Running”). If you’ve ever been a fan, you’re strongly advised to re-engage here.